Review & Summary — Community Matters: Will Petaluma nurture or stifle its downtown

A recent Argus-Courier commentary by John Burns, former publisher of the Petaluma Argus-Courier, delivers a pointed, unapologetically sharp critique of Petaluma’s recurring tendency to sabotage its own economic prospects — this time by jeopardizing the most promising downtown revitalization effort in decades. The piece, Community Matters: Will Petaluma nurture or stifle its downtown argues forcefully that the proposed luxury Appellation Petaluma Hotel at Petaluma Boulevard North and B Street represents precisely the kind of full-service, revenue-rich commercial development the city urgently needs, especially as sales-tax revenues stagnate and infrastructure needs mount. Citing city-commissioned studies, Burns emphasizes that Petaluma’s lack of any 4- or 5-star hotel or downtown full-service lodging sends tens of millions in visitor spending to other cities every year.

Burn's piece chronicles how, after an exhaustive two-year public process, the City Council passed a modest zoning update to allow six-story buildings in a tiny, blighted portion of downtown — only to cave to what the author characterizes as a loud but misinformed nimby faction invoking exaggerated fears about “historic charm,” traffic, and parking. Even after the council drastically shrank the overlay area, opponents forced a referendum, freezing the project and stalling the broader economic revival the hotel was poised to ignite.

Drawing a historical parallel, Burns reminds readers that this is not the first time Petaluma’s aversion to growth has cost it dearly, recalling years of resistance to retail projects like Target and Friedman’s despite clear evidence of lost revenue. He suggests the city risks repeating the same self-defeating pattern.

The sudden appearance of a new, scaled-down 56-room hotel proposal — submitted by the developer as an apparent fallback while the referendum looms — raises new questions. Is it merely an insurance policy? A response to perceived public sentiment? And will Petaluma end up settling for a generic 3-star chain hotel that delivers far fewer economic benefits than the original, transformative project?

In sum, Burns’ piece is a sharp, critical examination of a city at a crossroads: poised either to embrace a long-overdue downtown renaissance or to once again let fear and obstructionism stifle its future.

Review & Summary by: Elisa Weber
Argus-Courier Source URL: https://www.petalumanews.com/2025/11/21/community-matters-will-petaluma-nurture-or-stifle-its-downtown/
Argus-Courier Date: November 29th 2025